Revealing Secrets
by Emperor Italia
Summary: After being mysteriously separated from his friends, Barrel confines in a human girl to reunite the trio, and complications arise. Who is behind this separation, and why? Shlock. *DISCONTINUED*
1. Tempers and Arguments

Chapter 1

Tempers and Arguments

**Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue, I do not own Nightmare, and neither do you. (Unless, of course, you're Tim Burton.)**

**

* * *

**

"We keep going in circles!" Shock complained, flopping down bitterly on the snow-covered ground.

"No, we're not. Barrel has the map... right?" Lock asked skeptically, turning to the last of the trio. Barrel shifted his feet uneasily, staring at the ground. "_Right?_"

"Well... remember the river a little back...?" Barrel said steadily.

"Barrel!" His older cohorts yelled in perfect unison.

"Sorry, I tripped," Barrel admitted.

"There was nothing to trip over!" Shock snapped at him. Barrel turned and sat down, not wanting to once again be the victim of his friends' not-so-well-bottled-up-anger for the first time in three days. "Anyway, since we're stuck here and the sun's going down, we might as well clear out some snow and make a fire."

"Hey, who made you the boss?" Lock argued. Barrel groaned and shook the snow out of his hair. Couldn't they _ever_ stop fighting?

"I'm not! I'm just saying we need to make camp." On the word camp, she made air quotations in the air with her fingers. "Fine. Go get the firewood. Barrel... try to find a match or something. I'll clear the area out, since I'm the only one with gloves."

"I'll get some tree trunks; branches are too weak and easy to get for me," Lock was exaggerating again. Shock took off her hat and took out a baseball bat (Barrel had no idea how she managed to fit it in her hat without the hat changing shape at all), which she swung at Lock's head with near-perfect aim.

"Shut up and just go!" Lock rubbed his head and trudged away, muttering curses under his breath.

"Why can't we just use the bat for wood?" Barrel asked curiously. Shock looked stunned at his observation for a moment, then glared.

"Because it's _mine_, stupid!" She said. "Now, get a match! Or something!" She commanded.

Barrel leaned back against the base of an oak, his hood sticking to the bark. "And I thought you were a witch, Shockie." Her eye twitched. Barrel knew she hated when people called her that, that's why it was so funny to him. He searched his pockets, ignoring the fuming Shock, who loomed a few feet away. He pulled out objects such as a pair of candy worms, a finger trap, a few small toffees, a pair of blunt pliers, a hand buzzer, and...

"Ew! I thought you got rid of that!" Shock cried in disgust as Barrel pulled out an orange and black lollypop.

"So did I!" Barrel cried happily before licking it.

"You had that when you were seven! That's eight years ago! Gross!"

"Don't be such a girl!" Barrel scoffed.

"I _am _a girl!" Shock snapped.

"Well, you sure don't look like one!" This wasn't true, but Barrel was in a strangely sour mood.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Have _you_ looked in the mirror lately? Bet you cracked-"

"_Would you two just shut up?_" Lock said as he stepped out from behind two close trees. The brawling duo stopped talking immediately. "Thank you! And you say me and Shock fight too much, Barrel!"

"Hey! That's my line!" Shock pointed out. It was clear to Barrel that she was not done arguing.

"You don't see me complaining! Everyone says shut up! It's not your line!" Lock commented as calmly as he could (which was not very calm).

"At least I don't have a stupid freaking tail that makes me look like a freak!" She retorted. She seemed eager to start a fight.

"_Hey_! There is nothing wrong with my tail! I believe I saved you with it once! Remember-" Barrel took his hooded jacket off and laid it on the ground before lying on it like it was a mattress, curling up to keep the cold out. A dull _thunk_ was heard.

"How was your tail involved in that? If I remember correctly, it did nothing to affect that situation."

"That doesn't give you a right to hit me with that bat of yours!" Lock snapped.

"That doesn't even make any sense! Can't you think of comebacks that actually make sense?"

Barrel lifted his head to see Lock and Shock stomping away from each other. Lock did the same as Barrel with his sweater, and Shock used her long coat, though she still had short sleeves. They lay about fifteen feet away from each other, glaring at each other with all the hate in the world. Barrel covered his head in his arms and slowly drifted off to sleep. He hated seeing his friends fight. He would've thought that, since the "incident", they'd be nice to each other.

**A/N, Jan. 26: I'll have an important notice for you, my readers on this story, in the first chapter of a new story I will shortly be posting. It will be under the story title Cavities, and you'll see why I'm posting it on that story once it's up. (If you don't want to bother looking for it, the same note will be posted on the next chapter of this story.)**

**~Inferno Shock**


	2. Pranks and Tomatoes

Chapter 2

Pranks and Tomatoes

* * *

When Barrel woke up, the sight of white greeted him, with a little sun coming through. He saw up, and the cold snow fell off. He shivered, and then laughed to himself when he saw that his friends were covered in snow, still sleeping. A number of pranks ran through his head, but he thought better of them. Well... except...

Barrel grinned wickedly as he carefully took Shock's hat from off the ground and began rummaging through the endless pit that was her hat.

"Ouch!" He breathed as something snapped at the side of his palm, before pulling his hand out. He chuckled; it was one of Shock's three scorpions. Barrel shook the scorpion off and plunged his hand back in, clearly unconcerned about possible sharp objects. His face broke into a grin as his hand found some fabric and scissors. He clamped his hand around the two objects and pulled them out. Barrel's face split into a mix between shock and horror. In his hands, he held his friend's bra. Then he got an idea. He took the scissors and cut a slit in each cup before removing the padding and putting it back in her hat. Barrel stuffed snow into the padding's place enough so that it looked normal. He dropped the undergarment back in her hat and tiptoed over to Lock. Barrel carefully tried to pull Lock's hooded jacket out from under his sleeping form. Lock groaned and rolled over, making Barrel pause like a deer in headlights. Lock murmured something that sounded like he was singing a tune that the younger boy could not recognize. Barrel snorted and tore the hooded jacket off the ground now that Lock rolled off it. Barrel strolled over to a patch of bushes and hid his hooded jacket. Lock curled up into a ball, wrapping his tail around his legs to keep him warm. Barrel snatched both of Lock and Shock's masks off a nearby tree and stashed them along with Lock's sweatshirt

A noise startled Barrel, and he turned to see Shock stretching. He quickly sprinted over to his hooded jacket and laid down on it, pretending to be asleep. Barrel heard Shock trod over to Lock. Barrel lifted his eyelids just enough so that he could see.

"Wake up, jackass!" She whined in Lock's ear. He groaned and rolled over, eyes open if just barely, so that his and Shock's noses touched, their bright lips only a centimeter apart. Barrel couldn't help it, he chuckled as Lock and Shock shrieked and threw themselves away from each other, blushing furiously. The duo whipped their heads towards him and Barrel burst out laughing so hard that he couldn't breathe even if he needed to; their faces looked like tomatoes. They shot death glares at him, and he awkwardly and slowly stopped laughing. Barrel cleared his throat, and leaned back against the tree, waiting for the pranks to come into action...

It didn't take long for Lock to realize his only top was gone.

"Where is my jacket?" Lock barked at Shock.

"How should I know?" Shock protested, going behind a clump of trees to put her bra on. Barrel grinned, covering his mouth to hide his grin. _Five, four, three, two, one... _Barrel counted down in his head. A high-pitched shriek rang in both of the boys' ears as Shock stomped out, eyes blazing mad.

"You stuffed my bra with snow! And you say you're cold!" Shock said crossly, pushing Lock by the shoulders.

"What? I didn't even know you had a bra," Lock said innocently. Shock's eyes widened in irritation. She raised her hand and slapped him, leaving a big red mark on his cheek. "Hey! What was that for? I didn't stuff your bra with snow!"

"Then who did?" Shock snapped. The pair froze, before slowly turning to Barrel. Barrel gulped and backed up.

"I'm... just going to try and... um, find some, um, food! Yeah," Barrel stuttered, turning around and sprinting away. A few handfuls of feet away, Barrel stopped to catch his breath. It had stopped snowing, and the sun was shining bright and warm through the gnarled trees. Barrel spotted a familiar circle of trees ahead, and walked towards them. "Hm... What if I tried to go through our door?" He wondered aloud, stepping towards the pumpkin shaped door. Barrel opened it, but was disappointed that nothing happened. He turned around to try another door, completely forgetting about Lock and Shock, but he was met by a big, painful whack in the head with something metal, and then nothing but black...


	3. Introductions and Information

Chapter 3

Introductions and Information

* * *

A pair of big brown eyes peered through the thick sheets of rain. Adeline sighed. At this rate, she was never going to find home, much less get to it. Her backpack and everything in it was soaked to the core, including her homework essay that was due in three days.

The deep forest lay ahead. The forest was magnificent; the trees had thick trunks and towered over buildings. Even so, people only walked past it, gazing, instead of actually going into the woods. It might have been something to do with the rumors that were directed at the woods.

Previously, it was told that a group of young boys took a stroll into those very woods, and never returned. This rumor was false, everyone knew that most, if not all, of the facts were illogical. For one, the boys lived in completely separate parts of the state and never even caught a glimpse of each other, for two, the two boys weren't lost, they were buried in the cemetery. One committed suicide, and one got poisoned a few months later. They were strange boys, very strange indeed, but it didn't matter any more.

The second big rumor was that some fool went into the woods, and came out a few days later babbling like some idiot about how he supposedly found the worlds of the beloved holidays; Halloween, Easter, Christmas, St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, and the Forth of July. The poor guy had gotten dumped into a psychiatric hospital in Cleveland. Adeline knew this one was true; she had been ten years old when that happened, which was only four years ago. But no one believed him, of course.

She might as well take the woods; it may not be quicker, but she and her belongings would be dryer, for the trees were high and their tops made a roof above. Adeline dashed into the woods, paying no heed as to where she was going or headed. She stopped a minute or so in and sat down on the dry forest floor. She took off her hood and twisted it, water falling to the floor. She laid her backpack down and took out her belongings to let them dry. She twisted her long, straight golden hair as she did the hood of her fleece jacket. Adeline looked up as a small noise came from a few feet away. She stood up and carefully trotted over to the trees ahead. She peeked out from behind one of the trees and stepped out, kneeling next to a boy, who was at least one year older than her.

He had myrtle green hair and he had natural eyeliner around his top and bottom eyelids. He had unnaturally pale skin. He had a black hooded over coat on with a full ribcage pattern printed on it and matching black sweatpants with leg bones printed on them. The boy was wearing black shoes, but there was something inhuman about him, and it wasn't his pale skin or his flat nose. Adeline took his head in her slender hands. He had been knocked out; there was a bump on the back of his head. The boy groaned and his eyes flickered open.

"Shock?" He asked.

Adeline shook her head. He must have been hit pretty hard. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine. A little dizzy, but fine. What in the name of Halloween am I doing here? Who are you? Where are Lock and Shock?" He said, sitting up.

"Well, I don't know why you're here, I just found you here. I'm Adeline Skull, and I don't know them. Who are you?" She replied.

"I'm Barrel. Where am I?"

"You're in Idaho. Come on, we need to get you to some help. You were hit pretty hard," Adeline said, helping him up.

"Idaho? What's that?" Barrel pondered out loud.

"You don't know what Idaho is?" She asked, raising a slightly transparent eyebrow that gave her a permanently surprised look.

"No..." He replied, "Oh, well. I think it's best for me to stay in the woods."

"Why?" Adeline asked. He grabbed her arm and dragged her behind some trees. He glanced around before whispering.

"I'm dead."


	4. Hatred and Fear

**Disclaimer: I do not own Root Beer, the company, or the drink. **

Chapter 4

Hatred and Fear

* * *

"Why? Are you a criminal?" Adeline asked, already forming a getaway plan in her head.

"What? No!" The boy said, almost looking offended. "I mean dead as in, you know, not living."

"Sure you are," She rolled her eyes. "And I'm a forty foot tall talking tree. Clearly, you're not dead; you're standing, talking, blinking, moving... Nice try." He looked at her like he had never seen her properly until now. Barrel shook his head and began walking away. "Hey, where are you going?" Adeline cried, running after him.

"I'm going to find my friends."

"You're just going to leave me here?"

"Mm... Yep, I guess I am."

"You're unbelievable."

"Well, if it's such a big deal, then why don't you help me?" _I'm sure they'd be delighted to see you._ He silently added, his mental voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You're asking for my help?"

"I guess so."

She stopped and stared at his back for a second, attempting to peer through to any ulterior motives that he may have. After a little while, she decided to trust him. "What can I do?"

"Look for a circle of trees."

"There are a lot of those around here."

Barrel raised his palm and smacked it against his forehead in exasperation. "Look for some that are taller and thicker than the rest, okay? If that doesn't work, I'm not sure what will," He faltered for a second. Adeline shot him a strange look, but she said nothing. "It may be my only way back."

"Okay, we'll try it your way, o' wise leader," She drawled sarcastically. Barrel's thin eyebrows knitted together. He liked that girl less and less with each passing second. He then turned away and began walking.

Barrel didn't want to explain the holiday worlds to a human. He had heard as a child that they were half-wits, so they wouldn't understand even if he tried to explain. Besides, mortals were not allowed to know about the holiday worlds of old. It would cause unspeakable chaos. He lazily examined the trees as he walked along.

After a while, he felt a faint stir of homesickness. He thought longingly of his bed, the hybrid couch with a tear on it, the Root Beer machine, and even the graffiti they had crafted on the walls as children. What on earth was he doing, asking for a human's help? He shook his head and kept his eyes set ahead of him as he walked. He was vaguely aware of Adeline talking behind him, but he ignored her. Maybe she'd loose interest and go away.

He had to squint his eyes to see in front of him, but after what seemed like eons, he spotted the silhouettes of a familiar clump of trees ahead, and he dashed towards them.

"Barrel! Wait up!" The human girl who called herself Adeline was apparently still following him. He had no idea why, but he didn't really care.

He ran to the very center of the ring of trees and looked around for the one that was happily the most familiar to him. Adeline muttered breathless awes behind him, staring at the fine carvings and running her fingers over them. That was one other thing that he had heard about humans; apparently, they had to _touch _everything new that they saw. They were so... feely. The thought made him uncomfortable, and he pushed it out of his mind. Finally, he saw it. A tree – branchless, like the others – with a fine carving of a grinning jack-o-lantern door upon its bark. It was easy enough to spot. After all, Halloween was the outcast among the other holidays, so to speak. He dashed to it, a happy balloon inflating in his stomach. He grasped the polished black knob, ignoring Adeline's pleas to not open it, and feeling as if he could've burst into song, and pulled the door open. Finally, he could return home to his best and only friends, to the tree house that had been built by only them and a little help from their former successor, and to the spooks and ghouls of Halloween. To perhaps add more effect, he jumped in, fully trusting the tree.

However...

THUD.

He looked down in shock. All that was below him was a plaque of wood.


	5. This Really Sucks!

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone in this chapter. I so wish I did, though. I do not own the reference in here from the Hunchback of Notre Dame either, if you guys notice it. XD**

**Warning: There's slight LockxShock in this chapter, but not much.**

"All right, where is he? He always comes back at the most an hour after he does something, and it's been a few hours!" Lock complained, plunking himself onto the forest floor.

"Stop being such a baby! You can't even read time... He'll be back," Shock paused for a second before a wide grin spread across her face. "Why do you want him to come back so bad? Are you going gay on me?" Lock glared at her.

"No, it's just boring to be stuck with a girl all day," He explained innocently.

"Oh so that's how it is? Mister I-saved-your-afterlife-which-you-can't-really-die-anyway-and-you-should-be-grateful?" She snorted. "Some gentleman. And to think I thought you were close to even being a boy."

"That's hitting a little below the belt, don't you think?"

"No, this is!" Shock abruptly brought her leg up and kneed him hard in between the legs.

"You... bitch..." He whimpered, crouching over.

"Serves you right!" She scoffed. "How do you reckon you 'saved my life,' anyway?"

"Don't you remember?"

"Yeah, but I could've saved myself!"

"No, you couldn't. And you know it," Lock said, rolling his eyes.

"Whatever. Look, if you're SO concerned about Barrel, why don't we look for him?" She asked, flipping her black hair into his face as she turned around. The faint scent of peppermint met Lock's nose, and he stared ahead at her for a moment before shaking his head and crossing his arms. He wouldn't let some girl get in the way of his pride! Shock turned around, her hands on her hips. "Coming? Or are you staying here?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming. God, woman," Lock grumbled as she turned around. She walked into the woods, Lock at her tail.

They walked for a long duration of time, then Shock stepped into a patch of the sun's rays, and Lock paused. He never noticed how... beautiful the undead's skin looked in sunlight. It was like... white stone. It was so white for most, but it was beautiful none the less. Nothing too special, it didn't shine or sparkle or even glow. Just like white stone. And the contrast of her raven hair on her dead skin... it made her look like a dark angel in his eyes. Her silver eyes made her look a little creepy, though...

"Lock! Pay attention! Look at this!" Shock said, pointing at a metal pipe with blood on it, right next to the Halloween door.

"Woah! When did that get here?" Lock asked, his eyes wide. He picked it up. "Wait a minute, didn't Barrel come over here?"

They looked at each other before uttering in one breath, "Uh-oh!"

**I know, I know. I said I wouldn't update until I got three reviews, but I'm feeling generous today. Happy Mothers' Day! Reviewers get brownies! Sorry it's short, chapter 6 will be longer! I promise!**


	6. Nicknames and Tricks

**Disclaimer: I don't own Nightmare Before Christmas. If I did, Lock, Shock, and Barrel would be teenagers and the movie would be WAY different. I only own Adeline.**

Barrel sat down in the tree with a face of disbelief.

"It's hollow..." Barrel said with a tone of shock.

"Well, duh. It's a tree, what did you expect?" Adeline said. He looked away.

"You don't understand," Barrel grumbled.

"What don't I understand? A tree isn't hollow! I think I'm that smart," She said, getting frustrated with him.

"In this world!" Barrel stood up, clenching his fist. Adeline's eyes widened at something behind him. "Huh?" He turned around to meet tiny, red eyes. "Oh, crap!" He started running as a bat chased him.

"Barrel! Wait! It's just a bat!" Adeline cried, but he was already too far away. She sighed and started slowly walking towards the sound of the screeches of the bat and Barrel's occasional yells.

-------------------------------

Adeline reached the graveyard where the bat had left Barrel. The boy was crouching near a slightly faded gravestone.

"Barrel?" She asked softly.

"Everything makes sense now..." He breathed.

"What are you talking about?" Adeline asked. Barrel pointed to the tombstone, which read his name and two dates: birth and death. "Oh my god... you really are dead..."

"You think?" He asked sarcastically. Barrel sighed, "Why doesn't anything work out for me?"

Adeline gazed at him curiously. "Where do you come from, anyway?"

"A place that exists," He replied plainly. "But not here."

Adeline stared. She shook her head, muttering, "You are very strange..."

"Trust me, you don't know what strange is," Barrel replied, standing up and turning around.

"Where are you going?" Adeline asked as he got farther and farther away.

"Home."

-------------------------------

"Now what? I'm so bored," Lock commented lightly, examining a match.

"Help find Barrel. Where did you get that?" Shock asked irritably.

"It doesn't matter. If you really want to find him, stick a lollipop to a tree. He'll come running back."

"You're just trying to be unhelpful now, aren't you?"

"Pretty much."

She let out an exaggerated sigh. "Why did destiny put me with you two?"

"To teach you the meaning of fun," Lock laughed.

Shock glared at him. "Are you trying to get on my bad side?"

"You make it too easy, Cruella."

"Why do you guys always make up ridiculous nicknames for me?"

"You want the honest or fake answer?"

"Honest."

"It's fun to mess with you."

"I hate you, you know that?"

"Thanks, that warms my heart."

"Anytime. Now, let's look for Barrel, blockhead."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"Fine, you first."

"What?"

"I said you first," Lock said, gesturing to the open door in the tree.

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no. No way am I going in there. There's mold in the tree and beetles and.. urgh!" She cringed.

"Come on, Shock. You're a boogie's boy, start acting like it." Lock said, keeping his face expressionless.

"Yeah, but I'm not a boy!" Shock protested. Lock rolled his eyes.

"You live in Halloween Town in an old, run down tree house, and you're scared of a little mold and bugs? Pathetic." He said, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

"Oh, fine. I'll go." She muttered, reluctantly climbing into the tree, disappearing into pitch black. Lock put a foot on the the bottom of the door and chuckled to himself.

"That trick always works." He said before jumping in himself.

**Writing this was so fun! Except I got stuck on ideas for a while, but after that I really got it. I'll work on the next chapter ASAP! Reviews make me type faster!**


	7. A Kiss and Memories

**Disclaimer: It's really hard to come up with witty disclaimers, you know that? Anyway, you know the drill by now. I don't own anything in this chapter, except Adeline (who may be mentioned or show up).**

"It's so dark in here! I can't see a thing!" Shock whined.

"Oh, no! What a nightmare!" Lock teased, a little annoyed.

"Sorry. Why isn't anything happening? Are we stuck in here?" Shock asked.

" I wouldn't imagine, but we've never gone through our own door before."

"Are you trying to make me scared?"

"No -- Wait a minute. **You're** scared?" He asked, grinning devilishly.

"What? I never said that! Of course not!"

"Whatever you say, Shock. Let's just try and find our way out of here."

-------------------------------

Above them, a figure clad in a black cloak walked towards the Halloween holiday door, which was ajar. The cloak made soft rustling sounds as it moved over the dead leaves and fallen branches, but the figure otherwise made no sound. The figure gave a smile as it reached the door, before slamming it shut. The individual pulled a chain from their pocket, chaining the door closed. Giving another smile, more sinister this time, the figure strode away, leaving only the sound of leaves being pushed around by the cloak, and the faint scent of pumpkin pie.

-------------------------------

Back with Lock and Shock, the young witch screamed and wrapped her arms around him in terror as the sound of the door closing and chains was heard above. Unsure of what to do, Lock simply put his hands on her back.

"What was that?" She asked weakly.

"What does it sound like?" He rolled his eyes. He rummaged through his pockets for something.

"What are you looking for?"

"You'll see, and it would help a lot if you would let go of me!" He said, trying his best to sound irritated, although secretly he enjoyed that little hug. She blushed, glad it was dark, and let go without a word. Finally finding what he was looking for, he pulled out the match and stroked it on the wall of the tree, lighting it up in a bright flame quickly. "Wow, that's a good match," He commented, impressed, ignoring the odd squeak Shock gave, waving his hand over the top of it fondly, letting the flames lick his hand.

"Great, you have fire, now stop playing with it and be useful, dumdum," Shock said, going back to her ill-natured self, feeling around for who-knows-what.

"What are you doing?" Lock said, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm trying to find another door or something..." She muttered a reply.

"And what in Jack's name would a door be doing here?"

"I don't know! But we don't have any other way out, stupid, so just help me here!"

Instead of listening to her, the devil boy leaned up against the tree, looking at her, unimpressed. It took about five seconds for her to notice, in which she glared at him in the eye, not phasing him in the least bit.

"What?" She snapped.

"**Are you a witch or not?** There is not going to be a door in here, that's why we got locked in here!"

"Right, right, of course! But I don't know..." She trailed off into thought. A blush slowly crept to her cheeks, clearly not thinking about magic.

"What's your problem?" Lock asked.

"Nothing!" She said, a little too quickly. To avoid any questions, she leaned down and traced a door into the wood that they'd be able to crawl through with a little blue fire coming out of her fingers, sparks shooting everywhere. She stood up, satisfied, before turning to him. She closed her fingers around the little flame of the match, putting it out, before pressing her lips against his lightly, catching him off guard.

-------------------------------

Barrel shoved his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, deep in thought, not caring if Adeline was following him or not. He had to find a way home, and quick. If Jack found out he was in the human world, he would be in big trouble when he got back. They weren't supposed to go into the human world, much less talk to them. Besides, all he really wanted right now was to sit on the couch in the treehouse and watch television. All Halloween Town had electricity, thanks to the doctor's machinery. He wanted away from this crazy human girl; she was really starting to rub him the wrong way. This little trip had already made him realize why nobody liked the human world; he certainly didn't! There was more girls, but that didn't matter to him in the least bit. He felt cranky, and being followed by a girl was lowering his spirits even more.

"How am I supposed to get back if the trees aren't working?" He muttered to himself. "Maybe if I go back, I can go through another holiday door and ask for help! But the other holidays are crazy too..." He stopped and scratched his head in thought. He sighed helplessly. "I wonder what Lock and Shock are doing... I wonder if they even noticed I'm gone. Knowing them, they're probably fighting again," He snickered, then sat down on a tree stump. "Maybe Sandy would help me... he's friends with Jack," He went back to thinking about the holidays. "Nah, I don't feel like going to Christmas Town. And what's up with the mistletoe or whatever hanging around?" He shuddered, remembering the last time he went to Christmas Town.

He was trying to find a candy cane, which he had grown fond of, when he stepped under one of those plants with white berries and a red bow on the top of it. A young little elf girl ran up to him and kissed him on the lips. He shuddered again, remembering the strong smell of peppermint around her. Peppermint was the only candy he hated, for whatever reason. "Okay, Barrel, you've really got to stop talking to yourself," He chuckled, standing up and continuing walking into the woods. Truthfully, he had no idea where he was heading, he just hoped it was better than where he was now.

**There you go, I updated. :) School starts again in four days, so I'm trying to get as much done on this story before hand. I will still be able to update, just it'll take me a little longer. I hope you didn't think I died, because I didn't! XD **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I wrote a kiss! So there! How is Lock going to react? I am not sure yet. XD Thank you everybody who reviewed so far, you all get cookies! If you want, you can drop an idea you have for this story. I may not use it, but it is always appreciated. **

**~InfernoShock**


	8. The Wishing Well

**Disclaimer: You know the drill; I don't own Nightmare Before Christmas, blah, blah, blah, now on with the chapter!**

As Barrel continued to walk, he noticed something odd. The trees were getting thicker and taller. He wasn't sure if this was normal for human forests, but either way, to him it was odd. Hearing the rustling of leaves behind him, as if a thin fabric was gliding over them, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Was somebody following him? He shook his head, deciding that he would have heard footsteps if that was true. Even so, he glanced behind him, and gave a sigh of relief when he saw that nobody was there.

_I've got to get out of her, _the teenage boy thought, _I'm hallucinating. _He gave an amused smile at his own thoughts, before turning on his heel and walking forwards again.

-------------------------------

The same figure that had locked Barrel's friends in the tree stepped out from behind the tree, still hidden in the shade. A slender, albino white hand reached up and pulled the hood of the cloak down, revealing electric purple hair that hung down to the woman's shoulders in loose curls. She brushed a strand of hair out of her pink eyes.

The woman drummed her long fingers against the trunk of a tree thoughtfully, carefully placing the pieces of her next scheme together in her head. There was still a piece missing. She decided to stop following the boy for the moment, for there was nothing she could do at the moment. Turning left, she pulled the hood over her head, completely hiding her identity in the shadow of the hood. The partial albino walked away, leaving behind nothing to suggest her short presence there.

-------------------------------

Barrel walked for a few minutes, before he saw something that caught his interest. As if randomly placed there, an old wishing well was in front of him. It was all too clear that it had been abandoned; as he walked to it, he saw that the inside was boarded up. He shook his head; this place was getting ridiculous. He yawned, and only then did he notice it was getting dark. Maybe, just maybe, if he made camp in the morning he could get back, since that was, kind of, the way he came. He highly doubted it would work, but it was worth a shot, right?

He really didn't want to make a fire, so he laid his sweater on the ground under a tree (he had learned not to sleep in the open during winter; you get snowed on), curled up in a ball on it, and tried his best to get some sleep before morning. He never thought it'd be so hard trying to go to sleep without his best friends.

-------------------------------

As soon as her cold lips met his, Lock's mind went blank. He wasn't quite sure what to think or do, but even so, his cheeks slowly turned as red as his hair. After a second, he put his hands on her shoulders and softly pushed her away. He lit another match, which cast a dim light, before looking her in her light gray eyes, which, he noticed, had just the slightest bit of lavender in them.

"Who are you and what have you done with Shock?" He asked after a second. She gave him an odd look, one of her eyebrows raised, before looking at her boots. Shock gave a weak laugh before crawling through the door she had made. He blinked, standing there for a second, before he realized fully what just happened, and then he realized, a split second after the first realization, that she had probably been expecting him to kiss her back instead of pushing her away. Lock let out a defeated sigh. He knew then that the rest of the trip to find Barrel would be silent and awkward. He crawled through after her, emerging out to see that she was waiting, arms crossed and in a very sour mood, by a burnt tree. She gave him a cold stare, before turning on her heel and walking away, not even bothering to check if he was following. _This is going to be a long walk... _He thought. As he followed her, he wondered to himself if maybe he should've just kissed her back, and wondered if he would've liked it if he had...

**I know, I know, that was short. I tried to give Barrel more of the thunder in this chapter, 'cause I kind of felt I wasn't giving him enough attention. **

**I know you guys are going to hate me for not making him kiss back, but I hope you can forgive me, since I updated so soon. If I can, I'll update tomorrow, so keep an eye out!**

**Please review, and what do you guys think of our revealed, partial albino? Hate her? Love her? Not sure what to think of her yet? Either way, please review for homemade brownies! ^^**

**~InfernoShock**


	9. Tranquility and Serenity

**Disclaimer: Really, you should know by now, but just incase.... I do not own Nightmare Before Christmas, okay?**

Shock wasted no time in distancing herself as much as possible from Lock without loosing him. They walked in between the trees at least ten feet away from each other, her never so much as glancing back at him. The atmosphere was tense, and Lock could almost feel the seconds ticking by way too slow. Not wanting to break the delicate tranquility, he simply strolled along behind her, watching her coal-black curls glisten in the sun's rays, swaying slightly as she walked. He exhaled lightly. Now he did it. If there was one thing he knew about his female companion, it was that she did not forgive quickly, or easily. She could hold a grudge for weeks, never having a change of attitude towards you, if you angered her enough. There was always something about girls he'd never get. They were so confusing!

Several minutes ticked by before he spoke.

"Uh... Shock?" Lock asked vigilantly. She turned her head to the side enough to look at him, before, as if she suddenly remembered she was mad, shooting a sharp glare at him, quickly turning her head back around, hair whipping through the fresh morning air. Walking as silently and as swiftly as he could, he snuck up behind her until he was close enough to touch her, in which he put his hand on her shoulder. Mistake number one. She whipped around faster than you can blink, pulling out a scalpel in the process, aiming it directly at his neck, the blade glinting dangerously. He froze, eyes wide, staring at the blade precariously. He slowly put his finger on the flat side of the scalpel, driving it away from him. "Shock, can I talk to you?"

She flipped the weapon back in her pocket before leaning against a nearby acacia. "What do you want?" Shock replied capriciously, eyeing him darkly, her eyes looking unusually violet for her.

"Look, about last night-" But he was cut off as she flipped her palm in front of his face.

"I don't want to hear it. Scram." Shock remarked harshly, continuing walking. He quickly went to walk next to her.

"Hey, I just want to talk to you about it! I don't want you mad at me until we find Barrel!" Lock pleaded.

"Scram and you won't even notice." She replied, her tone as cold as her skin.

"Oh, come on, Shock! You can't stay mad at me this long!" He exclaimed dramatically, swinging his arm around her shoulders. She shrugged him off.

"Oh yeah? Watch me."

Lock pouted, "You're no fun!"

* * *

The rays of sun shone vividly on the sleeping teenager, illuminating his lime green hair. Barrel was dozing on his side, his hand over his face, his sweater sprawled out from nightly tossing and turning. Unbeknownst to him, a creek that he had not noticed before flowed peacefully behind him. The fresh dew blanketed the vegetation around him. As he slept, a single dew drop cunningly slid down a rich green leaf on the hickory tree he was sleeping under. As it reached the edge of the leaf, it dripped down on his face. Barrel sat bolt upright, looking around for what had dared to disturb his beauty sleep. He looked up at the hickory tree's lush leaves, just before another evil dew drop hit him right on the nose. He scowled. Couldn't a guy sleep in peace outdoors anymore? He stretched, not bothering to put his shirt back on, instead tying it around his waist. The weather was pleasantly warm that morning, so he propped his hands up behind him, or, more accurately, attempted to. Instead, his right arm got plunged straight into the running water of the brook. He jumped at the sudden cold, pulling his arm back out of the water, quickly drying it off. It was then that Barrel noticed a rolled up piece of vellum floating in the water. He picked it up and unrolled it, out of curiosity. Who knew? It was the map he had dropped back home. He scowled. A lot it did now. He crumpled it up, about to throw it back into the river, but froze, a thought coming to him. If the river was flowing from where he was headed, then he must be going the right direction!

His spirit now successfully restored, he jumped up, eager to start going. H knelt down to the stream and cupped his hands, filling them with water. He used that to wash his face, and dipped his hands in, drinking from the creek. Barrel never knew how painful it was to be separated from his friends until now, but he had renewed hope that he would find them. Nothing could go wrong now, he was sure of it. Folding the map back up, and making sure he still had his lollipop, he set off.

* * *

Edith walked up to the old wishing well and grabbed a copper coin from the bucket.

"Ooh..." She cackled delightedly, dropping the coin into her cloak pocket, her rosy eyes staring after the boy, some distance away now. "I think this will prove to be fun." She grinned, revealing sharp fangs, and silently walked away.

* * *

Barrel would admit one thing right now; he was actually glad his friends couldn't see him. If they saw him skipping, they would've thought he'd gone crazy. He felt a little silly anyway, but he hadn't been this happy since he was a child. It was nice, being bubbly and innocent again. Well, not exactly innocent, but still. One thing was for certain, he'd make sure never to get separated this long from his friends ever again. He swore that to the king of the pumpkins.

* * *

Back in Halloween Town, said King stood at the dark treehouse, scratching his skull. The trio always let him in, and at least one of them was always up at this time, but the lights were out. Jack turned to the passing Mayor.

"Have you seen Lock, Shock, and Barrel lately?" Jack asked. At the very mention of their names, the poor Mayor stumbled, dropping the load of papers he was carrying. He scrambled to pick them all up, his face spinning to show his nervousness. Standing back up, the Mayor answered finally.

"I'm afraid not, Jack. I haven't seen them since they let out those giant rats in my house." The Mayor was quick to flee after that, calling back, "We still need to start on the plans for next Halloween!"

Jack shook his head, annoyed yet amused at the Mayor, before looking down at his friend and pet, Zero. "Where could they have gone?"

**A/N: I'm so, so, SO sorry! Life's been rough this year (stupid teen years), and I haven't gotten around to updating. My mom had a baby, I've had H1N1 for two or three weeks, and my best friend's having boy trouble. Not to mention, HALLOWEEN! So, I had to get my costume ready (homemade costumes are the best) to go trick-or-treating with my best friend and cousin. For two hours longer than we planned. Whoops. At least we got a ton of candy! **

**Anyway, I love reviews! See that little button down there... no, the other one... yes, that one! Click it, please?**

**~Inferno Shock**


	10. Illusion and Confrontation

**Disclaimer: I am, in fact, female, therefore I cannot possibly be Tim Burton, who is clearly a boy. Therefore, I cannot possibly own TNBC. **

Lock had been right. Three or so hours passed and she was still quite vexed, and still firm on steering clear of him when possible. He had dropped the 'poor me' attitude, but it didn't seem to make things any better. At least she allowed him to walk closer to her, about five feet or so. It wasn't much, but he'd rather be in a five feet range of his best friend than a ten feet range, even when she was pissed off at him. He learned his lesson last time, and didn't dare sneak up on her again. He looked around, noticing the elm trees curving a high tunnel around them. There was always something about trees that did that felt unnerving to him, despite the fact he lived in Halloween Town. Nervously, he curled his tail around his leg and quickened his pace. Sensing the difference in his footsteps, Shock turned around.

"What's your problem?" The mage asked him, raising her eyebrow.

Ending up stopping about a foot away from her, he replied, "Erm... nothing, but where are we going?"

"How should I know? We haven't been in this part of the human world before!" Shock snapped, spinning back around. Lock sighed and followed her again. A good ten or fifteen minutes passed of silence, before Lock noticed something. Shock had started to quietly sing to herself. He didn't recognize the song, but she hadn't sung with the boys present for many years now, and it was weird to hear how much her voice had changed. He unconsciously walked slower, listening to her singing until she stopped.

"You have a lovely voice," Lock noted out loud without thinking. She glanced back at him, before turning to face the front again, cheeks burning. She bowed her head and continued to walk.

A few seconds passed, before the devil boy quickened his pace so that he was walking right behind her, a little to the right. He reached out and gently but firmly grabbed her hand, making her stop like a deer in headlights. Seeing no other reaction from her, he tried to get her attention.

"Shock? I really need to talk to you." At that, she yanked her hand out of his grasp, but he wasn't going to take no for an answer this time. Lock grabbed her shoulders and pinned her to the nearest tree. Shock glared at him through a few loose strands of hair moodily. "Just hear me out, okay? You can't avoid me forever."

"...What do you want?" She whispered after a moment, looking down so that her hat cast a shadow over her face. He reached up and knocked her hat to the ground so he could look at her.

"Can I trust you enough to let go?" He asked, tilting her chin up. After her firm nod, he let go of her shoulder. Since she didn't make a move to escape, he continued talking. "Now, about yesterday..."

* * *

After three hours of nothing but walking, Barrel's feet were getting sore, not to mention a cut he got on his cheek was stinging. He yawned.

"What was I thinking? I don't even know where I'm going..." He murmured to himself, rubbing his eye tiredly. He froze as he saw a familiar figure in the distance. "Jack? What are you doing here?"

"You three have been missing for days. Where are Lock and Shock?" The Pumpkin King said, crossing his arms.

"I don't know. We got separated. I just hope they haven't killed anybody yet..."

"Are you being followed?" Jack asked, looking around.

"It feels like it, but... wait, how did you know that?" Barrel asked suspiciously. It was then he noticed there was something off about Jack. It was just too out of place that Jack would just happen to find him, and Jack's voice was off. "You're not Jack, are you?" He accused, pointing a finger at him.

Knowing she had been discovered, Edith shifted back into her regular form and laughed.

"You're smarter than I thought. No matter," She assured herself, taking a club out of her cloak. Before he could run, she struck him on the back of the head. Before he blacked out, he could hear an unwelcome voice praise the woman.

"I'm so glad I got a shapeshifter to help me!"

"Yeah, yeah, bug man, can I have my money now?"

"Not yet! Your job isn't done yet!"

Recognizing the second voice, Barrel managed to say one word before fainting.

"Oogie."

* * *

"What about yesterday?" Shock replied, staring him straight in the eyes.

"Why'd you kiss me?" Lock asked.

She sharply turned her head away, her curls flying in his face. She determinedly stared at the tree next to them. Knowing by her look she was planning to escape the conversation, he put his hands on her shoulders, pressing her back up to the tree. A hush came over the area, and a light breeze blew their hair to the side. Lock waited to see if she was going to answer before gently grabbing her chin and turning her face back to look at him. It was then he noticed that although her eyes had always looked gray, they were really quite purple.

"Shock..." He started, but she cut him off.

"It was just a show of kindness, okay?" She snapped, about to kick him, but he wrapped his tail around her leg, stopping her. Shock tried to get her leg out of his grip, but eventually gave up and resorted to scowling at him. "Let go of my leg. Now." She growled.

"If I do, you'll just kick me, so, no." He replied, straightening her thigh-high boot, noticing it was crooked, but all he earned was a sharp slap.

"Pervert!" She said.

"Well, excuse me for being a perfectionist," He replied, rolling his eyes. "Touchy." All she gave in return was sticking her tongue out at him. A sly grin spread across his face.

"What?" She asked cautiously, eyeing him.

"You like me, don't you?" He grinned toothily.

"I never said that!" She retorted irately.

"You implied it."

"Did not!"

"Did so!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"You implied it, why else would you have kissed me?"

"You're an idiot!"

"Ah, but you like me!"

"Do not!"

"Yes, you do!"

"No-" She started, but he took her lips in his, silencing her. She froze, eyes wide and cheeks scarlet.

He pulled away ever so slightly and retorted, "Shut up." He then tilted her chin up and gently kissed her again, not giving her a chance to get over the sudden kiss.

**A/N: Aw... I feel so loved. ^^ And yes, I'm fine now, no more H1N1 for Inferno Shock! (I hope.)**

**So there, some LxS love for you. ^^ 3 Anyway, I'd love it if you could review! This time for those crescent shaped cookies you get on Christmas! (Sorry, I absolutely love those...) Or cupcakes, whatever you prefer.**

**~Inferno Shock**


	11. Green Eyes and Lollipops

**Disclaimer: You should be glad I don't own Nightmare Before Christmas, it would go nowhere if I did. **

A bright light stung Barrel's eyelids and, against his conscience, opened his eyes to see the rays of sunlight glaring down at him. Completely dumbfounded, he sat up, rubbing the back of his head, noticing a stinging under his ashen fingertips. He glanced around, eyes shining gold in the bath of the sun. Noticing he hadn't been moved and that he was alone, he started to laugh hysterically, as if he was a child again.

"Really?" He questioned himself, "They just left me here? They've got to be the lamest villains I've ever heard of." With that, he fell back into the laughter of a child who just learned a swear word. Just laughing made him feel like a boy again, and it was that he basked in. The adolescent's laughter faded and eventually died, but that wasn't enough to wipe the wide grin off his face. Unlike his cronies, he missed the days they were children, barely coming up to Jack's knees. They were so cheerful back then, it made him wonder what had happened to change those good days. _Shock went crazy, that's what_, he said in his head, giggling at his own joke. For a few minutes, he was unwilling to get up, sitting amongst the blades of dew-covered grass, glad he was wearing black pants. Noticing his precious lollipop had slipped out of his pocket, he picked it back up and shoved it back in. It was then that he wondered why on earth it hadn't run out yet, but he quickly reminded himself he liked it better this way. Finally, his stood up on his bare, three-toed feet and started walking in no direction in particular. Lock, Shock, and him had figured out years ago as children that he had a natural sense of direction, so he assumed he hadn't lost that handy characteristic through puberty. Or, at least, hoped.

Barrel hummed a little tune, only realizing a few minutes later it was a song him and his friends had sung, formulating their plot to kidnap Sandy Claws. It was bright out, he could only guess he had been out for a few hours, granted it was early morning. He paused, shifting through his other pocket for a moment, before pulling out a pair of horn-rimmed shades he had stole the previous year off of the vampires. He slid the temple arms into his vivid lime green hair, and almost literally stubbled backwards in surprise. Truth be told, he had never put on a pair of sunglasses himself, and it was odd. At least he could still see, even if his vision was darkened. Examining the world in this new, darkened light, he started walking again, glancing around. BAM! A harsh stinging met his face, and he looked forward to see that he had run into the rough bark of a pine tree. He grumbled, embarrassed and blushing, before putting the shades back in his pocket. His face was scraped, he could feel that even without touching it. But upon hand contact, he pulled his hand away, feeling cold liquid, and saw blood on his fingertips. He sighed. The teen could almost hear Shock's voice in his head, scolding him, telling him what a klutz he was. Noticing a weird prickling on the back of his neck, he reached back to feel something pulsing and slimy.

"Ew..." Barrel said, scrunching his small, button nose in disgust as he pulled away a caterpillar, whom had clearly felt, in its opinion, that hiding under his hair was a soft and clever hiding spot. It was a cheerful bright yellow and green, and crawled on his hand innocently. Barrel carefully picked the small creature up with his other hand and placed it on a lush, green leaf. He wasn't as totally heartless as his comrades, unlike Shock, who would've rather drowned it. No, if it hadn't done anything to him, why kill it? He just suspected it reminded Shock of when she was alive, and, considering she never talked much about it, her life hadn't been all that great. It certainly explained her attitude, if his suspicions were correct. Perhaps he should ask her one day, he thought, but quickly thought better. She'd probably just get pissed off and slap him. Oh well, that was Shock for you, like it or not. (It was probably more sensible not to.)

Only a minute or so later did he think of how out of character it was for a villain to leave its ex-henchman back where he was originally and not even get and information from him. _Oogie must be loosing his touch_, Barrel thought, _or is just more pathetic than we thought as kids_. He smiled, knowing he was probably right about the latter.

* * *

It took Shock a good two or so minutes before Shock finally reacted to Lock kissing her. Her cheeks seemed stained a rosy pink, put eventually she reached up and ran her fingers through his vibrant scarlet hair, and upon finding his grown horns, wrapped her fingers around them, before returning the kiss. They stood, lip-locked for a moment, before Shock was brought back down to earth by his pointed devil's tail tightening around her leg, like a python to its prey, cutting off any circulation she could possibly have, given she was, in fact, undead. To that she gave a strangled squeak and pushed him away. She would never tell the boys, but she had a strong fear of living snakes when she was alive, and it had stuck with her ensuing her death. She didn't mind them, as long as they couldn't move anymore than a rock could.

To her relief, the devil boy didn't ask anything about it, just looked thoughtfully at her. Her relief was short-lived however, overpowered by a feeling of dread, seeing that his face was splitting into a wide grin, pointed teeth glinting.

"Ha! That proves it! You like me!" Lock said triumphantly. _Oh, boy_, she thought, _here we go. I'll never here the end of this_. As if to prove her point, his tail let go of her leg and he started to jump around, saying in a sing-song voice, "You like me! You like me!"

With every word of his immature chant, her cheeks grew pinker and pinker. She tried to ignore him, snatching her hat back up, about to put it back on but paused, looking at her cohort. She reached into the hat and pulled out her broom, whacking him in the head with it, before returning it to her hat and putting it back on her head.

"Ow," Lock whined, "what was that for, Shocky?"

Resisting the urge to punch him for calling her that, she replied, "For being a brainless jackass."

"Aw... that's not very nice, Shock."

"Good, maybe it'll kill your ego."

"What ego? I'm awesome!"

"My point exactly," Shock nodded, turning and walking the way they were originally. He stood there for a second, then decided to follow.

Only a few minutes passed before he spoke again.

"Hey, Shock?" He asked, flicking a spider off his arm.

"**What?**" She snapped.

"I'm bored," Lock replied, not fazed in the least bit.

"Find some way to entertain yourself."

The devil looked around at the trees, eyes glazed over with boredom. He thought about lifting the back of her skirt up just to tick her off, but his conscience advised him against it, reminding him that she had a scalpel in her pocket. _It'd be funny to have another thing to tease her about_, he thought,_ but I like my head __**not**__ sliced open, thank you very much. _He sighed, and resorted to picking at a loose thread on his sleeve.

"Girls are so confusing," Lock said as-a-matter-of-factly. She simply glanced over her shoulder at him, scowling. "Really, Shock, first you're mad at me for not kissing you, and then you're mad at me for kissing you! Geez!" To this, she said nothing. "You girls have such mood swings!"

"You're rambling to yourself," Shock replied coldly.

"No, I'm not, you're listening," He nodded.

"Why do I hang around you two?"

"'Cause you love us," He replied, "but mostly me."

"Urgh!" She shrieked, clenching her fists. "Do have the damn sense to just **drop it and leave it alone?**"

"Nope, it's too much fun to aggravate you."

"Oh my god! I'm going to go insane with you around!"

"Nah, too late."

"Ugh!"

* * *

After a good half an hour or so of nothing but walking, Barrel only began to notice how staving he was. Taking out his lollipop, he examined it to make sure he wasn't about to lick a bug or a blade of grass, before licking it as he walked. It was just candy, he was that intelligent, despite what Lock and Shock thought, and it wasn't enough to ease his hunger, but it was the best he could do for now; he was nowhere near a village anymore so he couldn't steal any food, that was clear. He wondered what his best friends were up to as he walked, thoughts being interrupted every so often by his stomach complaining arrogantly. He heard footsteps to his right, and groaned inwardly. Was that shapeshifter still following him? If so, she wasn't doing a very impressive job of concealing herself anymore. Barrel slid his beloved lollipop back in his pocket, and heard the footsteps quicken to a run. He turned, only to be tackled in a hug, black curls and the familiar scent of black peppermint obscured his vision.

"Barrel!" Shock squealed, Lock a few feet behind her, "We've been looking for you for days! You sniveling idiot! Why'd you go into the human world? We missed you!"

Barrel blinked in bewilderment. He had never seen Shock this happy to see one of them; they must've really missed him. He awkwardly hugged her back, patting her back.

* * *

Lock watched his friends hug, and felt a little pang of jealousy, nagging him at the back of his mind. He was happy they found Barrel, he was their best friend too, but... it occurred to him that he enjoyed having all Shock's attention on him, just him and her, even though most of the time she was pissed off at him. Why didn't Shock ever hug him? He knew he was overreacting, that Shock had just truly missed their green-haired friend, but it made him wonder: if he had gone missing, would she do the same to him? His tail swished back and forth, his jealousy peaking as she kissed Barrel on the cheek, his ears blocking out every sound other than his own thoughts. He walked away, ignoring the other two completely as they broke away from hugging each other.

"What's with him?" Barrel asked.

"Who knows? He's been acting odd lately." Shock replied, fists on her hips.

**A/N: That has got to be my best disclaimer ever! XD And it was only one sentence, too! (writes that in my record book) Sorry guys, I really have no excuse for not updating this time. I'm just... lazy. XD Oh, the suspense! I'm so mean. As always, please review, and cookies/cupcakes to those who reviewed for the two previous chapters!**

**~Inferno Shock**

**EDIT: I found and fixed a typo. It's supposed to be "snakes" not "spiders". XD**


	12. Toads and Poison Oak

**Disclaimer: Oh boy... the dreaded "d" word... I don't own Nightmare Before Christmas, the holidays, the concepts of love, friendship, hitting people or sarcasm.**

Away from the vast timberland, the smoke from an assembly of chimneys rose ever so steadily into the winter December air. A town existed on the other side of a hill, located in a valley rich with yellow blossoms in spring. The wind was light, but strong enough to tear a paper off the pole it was nailed to clumsily. It was a lost sign, but it was nearly impossible to read, the blue ink smeared by water and dirt. Even the picture was indecipherable. But the townspeople, or at least most of them, knew what it said. The local baker's daughter, Adeline, had been missing for the preceding week. The baker was concerned, but there was nothing that anybody could do to find the daughter, which became apparent by the third day. She just vanished, leaving no trace behind to track her with. The most that could be done was small favors to the baker.

Nevertheless, not a soul in the town gave the slightest thought to check the woods. People barely even acknowledged that the forest existed, the forest that had been haunted with superstitions for as long as anyone could remember. Many people now ridiculed the tall tales, but even so, bothered none to ever test the stories. It was just a forest, and was none of their concern.

Adeline Skull herself had managed to go astray in the very forest nobody gave a damn to. Drat the whether of Colorado, indeed. A flurry of snow whipped around Adeline's ankles as she trudged over to a large pine, kneeling underneath its umbrella of needles, shivering in the cold. She breathed out into her cupped hands, desperate to warm herself up. She had never gone into the woods, no surprise, and forlornly wished for her warm home and the orange, glowing fireplace in it. What rotten luck she had: getting rained on, finding some weird dead guy, and now getting lost in the woods with no company. She was on a roll, but not a good one. Nobody would think to look for her in the timberland, and the most she could do was hope a traveler, or even the boy, found her. Adeline curled up to the trunk, in attempt to get warm and get some sleep.

* * *

A good screaming distance or two away, the three teenagers walked side by side, the boys with their hands shoved in their pockets. Shock, on the other hand, was digging through her witch hat in effort to find gloves, a scarf, anything relatively warm. She paused mid-walk, seating herself on the cold snow to better bore into the seemingly endless pit of random things. Lock and Barrel froze and watched her a few steps ahead. It was always interesting to see what she could pull out of there. Shock tossed countless things over her shoulders: her baseball bat, her broomstick, one of her pet scorpions – Lock and Barrel shuddered. Who knows why she didn't get a normal black cat... – a bottle of Mace, a Swiss Army knife, a brightly colored ribbon that she had snatched off of a pole in Christmas Town, a femur bone, a blunt axe, and nearly anything else you can think of. The boys shot a look at each other that clearly stated their thoughts: _Oh boy..._

They stood watching for a while, and dusk soon fell over them. Lock soon grew impatient, strolling over to Shock and whacking the back of her head with the palm of his hand. Barrel winced at the echoing smack sound. _Five... four... three... two... one. _Barrel counted down in his head. He was used to Lock and Shock's brawls, and now simply enjoyed sitting back and watching, rather than join in as he had as a child. Sure enough, Shock whirled around and smacked Lock, before pouncing at him, wrapping her now gloved hands around his neck. Almost instantly, they launched into a violent brawl. They rolled on the ground, kicking up snow in wild attempts to kill one another. Barrel sighed. _And they say __I'm__ childish. _He thought. _Some things never change..._

"Crazy bitch!" Lock snapped, pulling a handful of her curly hair.

"Fuck you, you aggravating jackass!" Shock hissed back, yanking his devil's tail.

Barrel looked up at the sky, which was darkening quickly, "Hey guys," Seeing no response, the green-haired boy stood up and pushed his two friends away from each other. "Guys, can you get along for once?"

"No!" The other two snapped. They glared daggers at each other, arms crossed, mirroring the other.

"Look," Barrel said, sensing another fight about to issue. "It's getting dark, so shouldn't we set up camp?" His cohorts grumbled, unenthusiastically agreeing.

A few minutes later, Barrel returned to the clearing the trio had found (which clearly wasn't hard in this forest), arms full with wood to build a fire with. He was surprised to find Lock and Shock actually working, and in complete silence. They were just ignoring each other, and it brought a strangely peaceful atmosphere to the area. Shock was putting up a tarp, aided slightly with her magic, over the area where they would be sleeping, which she had cleared of snow with her magic beforehand. Lock was laying out sleeping bags for them underneath the tarp. Barrel sighed to himself. _Finally, some peace. _He thought. He walked under the tarp wearily, and started setting up a fire pit, watching the other two. It strangely fascinated him. He could not remember a time when they were this tranquil around each other. It was nice. No yelling, no curses, no glares, and no fistfights, just... peace and quiet.

Shock turned around to look over the make shift campsite once she was certain that the tarp wouldn't collapse on them while they were sleeping. Her eyes stopped for an unusually long span of time on the sleeping bags. Barrel sighed; he was almost positive he knew what she was thinking. She always wanted things done to her liking. _I wonder if it's a girl thing... _Barrel thought to himself.

"Barrel!" The young necromancer snapped.

The golden-eyed boy looked up, meeting Shock's intense gaze. "Yeah?" He asked anxiously.

"Toss something to me," She replied simply, "Anything."

"Uh, okay..." He agreed cautiously. Barrel pulled a stray lock of vibrant hair behind his ear, and plunged his hand into the bush behind him, and randomly pulled out a bluish-green toad. He raised his eyebrow in curiosity for a moment, but upon sensing Shock looking impatiently at him, he quickly tossed it to her, a perfect throw. She placed the toad in her palm, its large eyes staring up innocently at her, and raised her other hand over the toad's back. Her free hand began to gently glow, and the glow soon sunk into the skin of the amphibian, and the creature instantly went rigid. Barrel watched, wide-eyed, as Shock spread her hand out over the animal. In sync with the motion of her hand, the toad stretched in width, the sound of ripping flesh filling the air. Lock, too, looked up to watch. The boys watched, spellbound yet with a feeling of horror in the back of their minds, as the toad was separated into three pieces by the curse. A small vein of blood trickled down through the gaps in between the witch's fingers and onto the forest floor. The decapitated creature began to bubble like acid nauseatingly, turning ivory and swelling. Soon, the horror was over, and in her hands, instead of an innocent toad, Shock held three fluffy, soft pillows. She ignored the boys' expressions – Barrel with his eyes wide with disgust and utmost alarm, Lock, on the other hand, looked strangely fascinated – and tossed a pillow to each of them. Lock examined it cautiously for a moment, before placing it at the head of his sleeping bag. Barrel, though, yelped and dropped the pillow on the rocks in front of him.

Warily, Barrel reached over and jabbed it. If he hadn't witnessed its creation, it would be just a pillow. It was fluffy, soft; an innocent white, and even had a scent of peppermint to it. He reached over and picked the pillow up. He stared at it, shifted his gaze to Shock, then back to the pillow. He finally gave up in the war raging through his head, and tossed it over to his sleeping bag. He turned to face the set-up fire pit, and sat down cross-legged. He could feel Lock watching his attempts to light a fire by rubbing two sticks together, hoping to get a spark, behind his back. The hairs on the back of Barrel's neck stood up. It was a pet peeve of his to be watched by his friends. For whatever reason, it bothered him.

SMACK! Barrel dropped the sticks in his hands and rubbed the back of his head. He turned to glare at Lock.

"Dude, what the hell?" He snapped. The devil was leaning back against one of the poles holding the tarp up, scowling at him. Lock motioned to the ground in front of the other boy. Barrel looked down to see a tinderbox in front of him. "Oh... sorry," He murmured, picking up the tinderbox, turning back, and managed to get a fire lit in a matter of minutes. Good thing, too: night had blanketed them with no hesitation. The trio slinked into their sleeping bags, and feel into a dreamless slumber to the sound of the crackling fire.

* * *

"Damn it, Barrel, stop scratching it! It'll just make it worse!" Shock snapped, slapping him.

"But it itches!" The green-haired boy complained.

Lock rubbed his eyes sleepily, awakened by his friends' voices. _Do they have any idea of the word 'quiet'? _He wondered, opening his eyes and sitting up.

Barrel was shirtless, and Shock was applying rubbing alcohol to his back, where a rash covered as well as his left arm.

Pushing the prick of envy out of his mind, Lock propped himself up on his elbow, and asked, "What happened?"

"Oh, good morning, Lock," Shock greeted with a nod of her head, "I don't know, but Barrel must've reached his hand into a bush of poison oak, and it spread to his back."

"How was I supposed to know it was poison oak? You know I'm no good at plants!" Barrel retorted, scratching his arm. Shock slapped his hand. When she turned her head back to Lock, Barrel resumed his scratching.

"So now I have to put rubbing alcohol on it," She concluded simply.

"What will that do?" Lock asked, stretching.

"Idiot, it will clean the skin of urushiol."

"And that is...?"

"You two are so dense! It's the oils of the plant that trigger the reaction."

"Oh." Lock watched for a moment, in which the prick of envy returned, and he scooted over to sit next to her. Shock raised an eyebrow, but otherwise ignored him. Absent mindedly, he scratched his shoulder, and it was then that he noticed an odd, irritating feel to his shoulders, the sides of his face, and upper back. The more he thought about it, the more it itched. Shock noticed after a few seconds, and turned to look at him.

"Lock, look at me," The witch instructed. Too tired to disagree, Lock obeyed. Shock examined his cheeks, before groaning. She grabbed the bottle of rubbing alcohol. "Does it itch anywhere else?"

"Yeah, my shoulders and back," He replied. Shock sighed.

"Barrel, I'm done with you," The necromancer told him, "There's a river over there, go wash the rash with that. Okay?" The boy ran his hand through his lime green hair and grinned sheepishly, nodding, and wandered off to the stream. Shock tugged Lock's shirt off and grabbed Barrel's shirt, tossing both articles of clothing at Barrel. "Wash those while you're at it." Barrel rolled his eyes, catching the shirts.

"Yes, _mom_," Barrel teased, running off, laughing, before she could grab something else to throw at him. Shock rolled her eyes, muttering something about how boys were so immature, before spreading the antiseptic on her hands, and began smearing it over Lock's cheeks, which had begun to show signs of a rash.

Lock exhaled in boredom, and tried to ignore the foul smell of the ointment – he wasn't sure whether it was from being in a world other than where it originated for so long, or just the natural stench. He gazed into his friend's lavender eyes – or were they gray? He wasn't sure anymore, and it'd be silly to ask her – for a moment, but despite his confusion of the striking orbs of hers -- that even in the face of their beauty, could have a look harder than looking into the face of evil itself – he grew tired of examining her eyes, since she was ignoring his gaze. In spite of his better judgment, he found his eyes trailing down her collarbone to her chest. Mentally kicking himself, Lock looked away, blushing, before she could notice. Shock gave him a slap on the cheek, and he looked back up to her face, fearing that his pervert moment hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Stop moving your head!" Shock growled, and ordered him to turn around so she could spread the ointment over his shoulders and back. He nodded stiffly, doing his best to mask the wave of relief that he felt, and obeyed. _Too close, pervert, _He told himself, _she already thinks you're a pervert, and staring at her chest isn't gonna help!_ He shook his head, and focused on a leaf on the dirt, wincing at the smack she sent at the back of his head.

He had defiantly dug himself a ditch.

**A/N:**** I had a wine glass fall on my head. I'm okay now, there's just a tender spot on my head now. But, Happy New Years since I missed my Christmas deadline! XD I'm sorry, toad. =(You didn't deserve that, truly. **

**You guys can blame me if I give you nightmares.**

**~Inferno Shock**


	13. Marshes and Cloaks

Chapter 13

Marshes and Cloaks

* * *

"Alright, Barrel, which way are the trees? I'm sick of this place."

"Can't you just, I dunno, poof us there or something?"

"No, stupid. There are boundaries to magic, you know. You can't make stuff appear out of thin air. If you want something, you either have to transfigure something else into it, or summon it."

"But you just said you can!"

"No, I didn't!"

"Well, summoning is the same thing! If you can summon, you can transport things other places, too!"

"That's gotta be the smartest thing you've ever said."

"Shut up. So, can't you just poof us there?"

"I'm not 'poofing' anyone anywhere. My magic isn't strong enough. Even if I tried, it's possible only your arm or something would go there, and the rest of you would disintegrate."

"Sounds pleasant. Well, I came from that direction... which is where the trees are... I think..."

That argument had been going for hours, Lock was sure. He wasn't up to joining; when you had more than two people arguing, nothing ever made sense.

Two weeks had passed since the poison oak incident. The rashes had long gone, but that was only one problem solved. They had been walking for two days straight, minus stopping once in a while for a five-minute rest. All three were tired, cranky, and sore. Once in a while, somebody would hope out loud that they got home soon, as they agreed that they would not sleep until they got back to their tree house. Bad mistake. They had recently wandered into a swampy part of the woods, and had come to an abrupt halt. The trio was taking turns in trying to figure out their way back, which was difficult, as the swamp had stunned them, and no longer could they remember where they had come from. Every direction they turned looked the same.

"Do you have a compass?" The devil asked to no one in particular, squinting up into the emerald canopy, where the bright rays of sun insisted on shining through.

"None of us even know how to use a compass!" Shock rolled her eyes. Her hair had gone completely haywire, sticking up in every possible direction, but it was clear that she couldn't have cared less. He shrugged.

A silence passed over the three sitting among the rocks, the dirty swamp water leaking into their shoes and clothes.

"Ooh! Ooh!" Barrel exclaimed suddenly, standing up so fast that his sudden movement alone caught the other two's attention.

"What is it?" The witch asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I got an idea. I'll climb up one of these trees and look around. We're not too far in, I'll be able to see the rest of the forest."

"Knock yourself out. But if a snake bites you and you fall, I ain't catching you."

"I'll be fine," He said, pulling a leaf out of his hair, before heading to the nearest tree. He could feel the watchful gaze of his cohorts boring into his back, but he ignored them confidently. He climbed trees a lot as a kid, so they didn't intimidate him. Looking around, Barrel grabbed a thick branch and started up. Before long, he reached the top of the tree. Or, more accurately, as close to the top as he could possibly get. The sun blinded him, and when he looked away, white and pale yellow speckles that appeared again when he blinked obscured his vision. Shaking his head, the speckles slowly went away and he was able to see properly again. Narrowing his golden eyes, he scanned the treetops. Nothing.

Except...

He squinted against the sun to make out what had caught his attention. After a minute, his eyes focused on the forms of a circle of trees. Each tree in the circle was the same height, and towered over the rest. Barrel smiled. He'd know those trees anywhere. Quickly, he slid down the tree somewhat painfully, and landed. His friends looked up.

"Well?" Lock asked.

"I found the Hinterlands," Barrel said in a singsong tone. Lock and Shock immediately stood up.

"Where?" Shock breathed, her eyes gleaming.

"That way," Barrel said, drawing an arrow in the mud that pointed southeast of where they were standing. Lock was deeply impressed, and Shock looked like she could hug her green-haired friend.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Shock said, an excited tone in her voice that did not suit her, "Let's get the hell outta here!" The boys nodded in agreement, and the trio set off at a run where the arrow was pointing.

The scene was empty, and very quiet for quite some time, before the squelching of rubber shoes in mud broke the silence. A long cowl swept over a log and its wearer knelt down at the arrow, sweeping the hood off of her head with a short, swift movement. The roots of her orchid hair faded to an unpleasant green-brown in thought. For an on-looker, it would take a second to realize that she was, in fact, slowly turning invisible, like a chameleon blending into the world around her. She stood abruptly, returning immediately to her previous form.

"One more day," She spoke to no one, "just to be sure." And with a swish of her cowl, she vanished, leaving no footprints behind. Even the arrow and the trio's footprints vanished when she had.

**A/N: As you can probably tell, my style and format of writing has changed since I last updated. I took away the disclaimer because it was redundant, and I kind of like the chapter title at the top. As always, I welcome any constructive criticism. I'm sorry that this chapter was short. The next, rest assured, will be longer. And, look at that, no scene changes! When did that happen?**

**~Inferno Shock**


End file.
